Piracy In The Caribbean

Apparently, the government of Antigua is permitted to suspend up to $21 million in copyright annually, because the U.S. defied a World Trade Organization ruling that permitted it to host online gambling. “A few years ago 5% of all Antiguans worked at gambling related companies. However, when the U.S. prevented the island from accessing their market the industry collapsed,” explains TorrentFreak. In revenge for snubbing the WTO, Antigua plans to “capitalize” on the right to offer copyrighted materials, which means there might be some fee associated with the service.

[Lawyer for the International Intellectual Property Alliance Michael] Schlesinger argued that the WTO ruling does not free Antigua from its other international obligations to respect intellectual property rights. “Countries have international obligations aside and apart from their WTO obligations,” Schlesinger said, arguing that Antigua is prohibited by the World Intellectual Property Organization form setting up a piracy website.